It may be August already but with plenty more summer to go especially when you live in Texas it's pretty much summer once winter ends and technically we don't even really have a winter, it's more of a limbo season. Between summer and summer, haha. Anyways, I figured I have had enough experience in our Texas humidity and summer to know how to survive the rest of summer during my pregnancy and wanted to share it with you guys. If you have any additional tips, be sure to leave a comment below.

Emotions:

I guess I was so preoccupied with taking care of Sophia 24/7 and babysitting another baby for a few hours each day that I didn't really have time to think about fear as much as I did when I was pregnant with Sophia. Of course, fear still came but it was different fear than just potentially miscarrying but also financial situations and our living situation (one situation has been fixed but the other is still looming around our heads, adulting is hard sometimes). Mostly it was just hard to grasp that another baby was actually growing inside of me with the craziness of life and a toddler.

I walked out the room trying so hard to not have a big kool-aid smile as to not give away to Anthony what the results were. I walked into Sophia's room where Evelynn, our one year old cousin, was playing and I called Anthony in there.

If you are familiar with our birth story than you know it didn't go as I envisioned or planned but than again I think it rarely does. However I feel like my birth experience was a little extra traumatic (okay that word is a little over the top and dramatic but whatever). I felt like Sophia was literally forced out (dramatic again, I know) of me due to my doctor's decision of inducing me. And the way my body reacted to the inducing medicine made it harder on me than your typical birthing contractions. Typically you contract about every 3-5 minutes and they get closer together as you progress. This was NOT the case for me. I contracted about every 45 seconds for about 18 hours straight and I owe it to the Bradley Method for getting me that far without an epidural. In helping me learn to not fight my contractions and work with them however after 18 hours of labor and contracting without any down time I think it's safe to say that's asking a lot from anyone to just breath. 

One of the greatest pieces of advice I was given during my pregnancy was to hold on to all my gift cards until after the baby comes. I gotta say this one piece of advice benefited us greatly. Mostly as new parents you really don't know how to separate what babies actually need to what's nice to have. I remember asking my friend for advice on my registry and she pointed me to Babies R Us Registry Checklist and said it was pretty accurate for the most part and in some aspects it is and in another aspects is not.

A few weeks ago, I shared what I took from the hospital after giving birth to Little Love and before that I suggested some questions to consider asking while on a Maternity Tour so I figured it was time I talked about what I packed (and what we didn't think to pack so family members had to go scrambling through our house to find the items).

If you have read Little's Loves birth story than you know nothing went as planned (when does it ever really though?) and we were not prepared. Our hospital bag was half way packed sitting in the nursery while we were considering what we really needed to take with us.

Hey everybody! How was ya'lls weekend? Anything new or exciting? We decided to surprise Anthony's parents with a visit and I finally finished up one of the books I have been reading which brings us to today's post, a book to review. 

Now I don't know when I made the decision to breastfeed but whenever I did, I knew I wanted to give it all I had to be successful. I heard from multiple people about how hard and challenging and uncomfortable (even painful) it could be so I began researching and researching once I found out we were pregnant. I was so terrified of not being able to produce enough milk (which is a common misconception of breastfeeding as only 2% of women in the ENTIRE WORLD actually cannot produce enough milk, if you are struggling with breastfeeding, it is highly suggested you seek help from a LICENSED lactation consultant as they can troubleshoot what is really going on) or being uncomfortable. Honestly, it wasn't that hard or as bad as everyone kept making it seem. Yes, the first few days were a struggle waiting for my milk to come in and having to supplement because Little Love had low blood sugar those first few days but more so emotionally because of that fear of not being able to produce enough for her BUT once my milk came in, everything else just came naturally. 

I have been following Chelsea from Two Twenty One for a few years now. After she had her son Owen, she posted a lot more about baby products, tips and tricks and what to take from the hospital after popping out a kid. I'll be honest, I loved her blog for the home improvement and DIY tutorials and her famous peonies. So when she started sharing more baby talk, I was like "great this is turning into a mom blog. I just want to see pretty pictures of her house and crafts I can create for my house." Well lo and behold, I got pregnant I needed to know what the heck to pack in my hospital bag so I asked my friend and she sent me Chelsea's link. Well well well, here we are again and I needed her help so I'm glad she shared her advice. And here I am sharing what I took from the hospital. 

After finding out we were pregnant and we chose our doctor and decided on a hospital, we knew we wanted to go on a tour of the hospital so I began making a list of questions I wanted to ask while on our tour of the maternity ward and I also created a list of requests (crazy new mom much?). All jokes aside I do believe it is important to be prepared and to ask questions to know what to expect during your stay especially if your a new momma or your going to a new hospital than your previous births and to make a list of requests so your birthing experience is catered to you and your family, as it should be.

Side Note: These requests will be apart of your birth plan but I wanted to bring some up during the tour to make sure the hospital I chose would be accommodating.


So what were the questions I asked?

Side Note: I also make a list of questions in my phone for our doctors before appointments and it sometimes helps to remember what to bring up to your doctor. As a new parent, we freak out about every little thing but we are also sleep deprived and may be too busy calming our little baby during an appointment, these questions or concerns may slip our mind but if they are written down, you are more likely to remember to ask.

What is the estimated cost of  a natural vaginal birth?

It's good to know in advance how much you are going to have to fork out especially if you need more time to save up to make the payment. Also, ask about a payment plan!

My oh my were we surprised by how many people made it out to celebrate with us. We ran out of seating quickly but were overwhelmed with the love and support. 

The opposite side is our dining room and we had the table set up as the gift table.

 

Work Babyshowers

Maternity Shirt (similar) | Maternity Jeans |

Open Front Cardigan (similar) | Sandals (similar)

More of my Maternity Style Posts:

Dressing the Bump: Second Trimester Style

More Bump Date Posts:

First Trimester

Maternity Tunic (similar) | Maternity Leggings | 

Statement Necklace (similar) | Sandals (similar)

Striped Maternity Shirt | Maternity Jeans |

Nike Flip Flops

More of my Maternity Style Posts:

Dressing the Bump: Second Trimester Style

More Bump Date Posts:

First Trimester

1. Maternity leggings, where have you been all my life? How did I go through most of my pregnancy without thee?? Its crazy, I barley bought these now at 35 weeks pregnant. Don't be me, buy them as soon as you can. THEY. ARE. WORTH. IT. I thought I could get by wearing my regular leggings during pregnancy which I did but they weren't comfortable. And this is an item a lot of women suggest to buy but I didn't want to spend the money when I already had leggings. This is an item I wish someone would have slapped me in the face with and forced me to buy. Now you don't have to go all out and buy the name brand maternity leggings or whatever, since the Wal Mart ones seem to do what they are intended to do and for under $13, well why not. Maternity Motherhood charges between $25 - $30 for leggings, unless you find some on clearance they can be about the same price as Wal Mart's leggings. I purchased my leggings from Wal Mart and I am very happy with them, I was able to buy my pre-pregnancy size and they fit perfectly on me. Again, you do you, if you don't mind spending the extra money for another brand than whatever just make sure you have maternity leggings in your pregnancy wardrobe.

2. A comfortable bra. It doesn't have to be a maternity bra or a nursing bra, just a comfortable stretchy bra. I have had the BCG sports bra from Academy before pregnancy and loved it than but I love it even more during pregnancy. It leaves me with room without constricting my rib cage and making it hard to breath and its affordable (under $17). I have read many articles, blogs, and books that suggest buying maternity bras or nursing bras at the beginning of pregnancy and others suggesting at the end of pregnancy and even others saying wait a few weeks after having the baby before buying a nursing bra. Again, I didn't want to spend the money on bras so I just rotated my sports bras and my regular bras. Sports bras were my favorite to wear as there is no under-wire and the BCG bra has the cami-type straps so you don't have to worry about the straps being visible like with typical sports bras. So whatever you decide to do, just make sure it is comfortable.

3. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Most people tell you to buy the What to Expect When Your Expecting book which is also a good book to have but you can easily find the same information on google or a pregnancy app. Most of the time, it was easier pulling up my BabyBump app and reading their short Daily Tip and Weekly Information than it was to read a few pages in the Expecting book. It is basically the same information just condensed in the app but still a good read just not a Must-Have in my opinion whereas the Thinking Woman book is a MUST must-have. I suggest buying this book as soon as you find out your pregnant (under $15). This book goes through all your options during labor and delivery including epidurals, inducing labor, IVs, cesareans, etc. The author Henci Goer, brings the facts, side effects, statistics, etc. about each procedure and lists the pros and cons on everything she covers. It really helps you decided on the best decision and to create a birth plan early on that fits you and your family best. And by getting this book early on and reading it, helps you make an informed decision about the type of doctor or midwife you want to deliver your baby and where you want to deliver your baby. Yes, you can easily ask your doctor about these procedures but most doctors have a set way they like to do things so they will make a procedure seem perfectly normal or harmless to you and the baby whereas Goer shows every side of each procedure. So I say this book is non-negotiable, you have to buy this and actually read it. That's an order. Just kidding but really, the book is very informational and is sure to prepare you to make informed decisions for you and your growing family.

And that my friends, is my version of pregnancy must-haves and each item is actually affordable (under $20). To be fair, I did not list any of the sales prices for these items so you may actually be able to find these items cheaper.

Do you agree with my must-haves? What is on your list of pregnancy must-haves?